What: Banquet honoring recipients of Outstanding Community Service Award and Josie R. Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award
When: 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, May 18
Where: Campus Club of Coffman Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis
Contact: Mike Greco, Communications Coordinator, CURA, 612-625-7501, curaweb@umn.edu
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (5/6/2004) -- The University of Minnesota will honor faculty and staff who have made significant contributions to their community Tuesday, May 18, when it presents two of its most prestigious awards. The university’s Outstanding Community Service Award and its Josie R. Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award will be presented at the sixth annual recognition banquet from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Campus Club of Coffman Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis.
The Outstanding Community Service Award recognizes outstanding contributions and accomplishments of faculty, staff or university-affiliated community members who have worked to improve public life and the well-being of society. Honorees each receive a $2,500 stipend.
The Josie R. Johnson Award honors faculty, staff and students who have made outstanding contributions to the university and external community in the areas of human rights and social justice. Honorees each receive a $1,000 stipend.
This year’s Outstanding Community Service Award recipients:
• Robert Byrnes, University of Minnesota extension service regional director, will be honored for his contributions to southwestern Minnesota as an educator, advocate and public servant.
• George Green, professor, department of history, will be recognized for his work in public and private education to preserve and share public history.
• Van Mueller, professor emeritus, department of geography, educational policy and administration, will be honored as an advocate for social justice in education, parental involvement and school finance policy reform.
• Abdi Ismail Samatar, professor, department of geography, will receive the award for his work locally but internationally in his efforts to better the lives of Somalians. He has helped local immigrants adapt successfully to life in the Twin Cities. He also has worked to support education and advance the peace process within Somalia.
• John Song, assistant professor, Center for Bioethics, will be honored for his contributions to health care for persons who are underserved, underinsured and unstably housed in the Phillips neighborhood.
The Josie R. Johnson recipients:
• Rose Brewer, associate professor, African and African American studies department, has built a reputation for her commitment to social justice issues. She will be honored for her dedication to teach others about human dignity and social justice by example, and by developing future leaders for the ongoing struggle for equal opportunities.
• Oliver Williams, professor, School of Social Work, is considered an innovator, collaborator and pioneer. Williams will be recognized for his work as a true champion of human rights and social justice for the men, women and children whose lives are compromised by domestic violence.
• Jaki Cottingham-Zierdt, associate, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, has spent her lifetime providing for and encouraging youth to participate in educational opportunities. She will be recognized for her passion in working on behalf of the needs of ordinary people. Similarly, she has advocated for health and wellness programs in communities of color.
• Frederick Smith, coordinator of the Community Development Programs in the Center for Urban & Regional Affairs, has held his current position at the University of Minnesota for the past 21 years. He will be recognized for his longtime commitment to using the university to better the lives of those in underrepresented communities.
• Juan Moreno, diversity and inclusion specialist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service, will be recognized for his work in diversity and education. Most notably, Moreno founded the Diversity Institute at the University of Minnesota, the only organization of its kind that promoted multicultural development through education, training, research, advocacy, consultations, internships and small grants focusing on issues of diversity, human oppression and multiculturalism.
• Jennifer Fischer, U of M law student, has already compiled a large body of volunteer work and advocacy experience. As one of two student recipients, Fisher will be honored for her work with Habitat for Humanity in Botswana and Ethiopia. She also works in the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office on behalf of low-income people.
• Robert Frame, U of M history student, has a long record of concern and activism on behalf of those who may not have been able to advocate for themselves. He will be recognized for his volunteer work, which has largely focused on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender communities. He is also a scholar and teacher currently seeking a doctoral degree in history.
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